


the haunting of mark lee

by Catsby



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Demon Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Demon Suh Youngho | Johnny, Ghost Hunter Mark Lee, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:01:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23766574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsby/pseuds/Catsby
Summary: Running an online ghost-hunting show and balancing school life is proving difficult, but thankfully Mark has two very sweet and patient friends to help him out.(And, little does he know, save his ass on a nightly basis.)
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 17
Kudos: 152





	the haunting of mark lee

Since the beginning of time, since the creation of humans and the subsequent falling of a certain star, since Hell became and its inhabitants arose, there have forever been two demons which everyone knew and feared. Reknowned for their ferocity, their cruelty, they became feared by humans, demons, and spirits alike. 

With eyes that glowed like the embers of a flame, with fangs like those of a terrible beast, with wings donning feathers darker than the night itself, they roamed the earth and wreaked havoc everywhere they went. Two horrible creatures, leaving a trail of destruction and blood, their footsteps seared into the earth by their wicked hellfire.

During the early years of life, they were infamous, but fame only brings about so much, and they soon became bored with it. Their killing sprees felt tedious, and the look of terror on humans' faces no longer brought them any joy. Though they were demons, they realized mindless cruelty simply wasn't fun anymore.

Soon enough, they slinked away into the shadows, and the Church lost all traces of them. The stories of the horrors they unleashed upon the world soon faded as well, dismissed by the public as mere myths and tall tales, and life moved on without them. They remained forever hidden, forgotten by everyone.

Everyone except for Mark Lee.

When Mark snuck into the old abandoned church that fateful night, he failed to notice the eyes watching him from behind the cross. They stared, amused, as he pulled from his backpack a camera, an old book that smelled like sulfur, several candles, and a box of chalk. Their delight only grew as he defaced the holy ground, scribbling a crude circle and pentagram across the wooden floorboards with the chalk. He set a candle at each point, balanced the camera on a nearby pew, aimed at the scene, and then finally opened that terrible book.

His voice shook as he read a spell in broken Latin, and one of the demons laughed before he could stop himself. To both beasts' surprise, the human flinched. They shared a look. He could _hear_ them, surprising for a human of this day and age. 

Interest piqued, they stared on with a new sincerity, taking in the sight of this meek man hunched over a shitty summoning circle in an abandoned building in the dead of night, trembling like a leaf as he desperately read from the hellbook in his hands. It took many minutes before he finally finished stumbling through the spell, and as soon as the last word left his lips, he looked up, eyes wider than the moon shining through the cracks in the ceiling.

His eyes searched the darkness, looking over the lines of pews, the support beams overhead, the grand cross behind which the two demons hid. When he found nothing, he sighed and closed the book and turned to his camera.

He began to speak, English now, and the duo peered out to watch and listen. He seemed relieved but oddly disappointed as he recounted the events to his camera, his "viewers."

"Sorry, guys, but nothing happened," he told the lens with a sigh. "I knew this book was a hoax. Looks like the spell for-"

And then he said it. _Names_. A shiver ran down the spines of the two creatures lurking in the dark, and they shared yet another stunned glance.

"-is a dud. I guess it makes sense since they're such old demons, they'd definitely be harder to summon than with just some chalk and candles, but, oh well. I gave it a shot," he chuckled.

As he talked on, all attention on the camera, he failed to notice the dark figure rising from the shadows behind him. Another demon, weak and hungry, drawn from the woodwork by the scent of human fear, like a pesky moth to flame. Such a small presence couldn't be captured through a lens, only seen by the pair of eyes staring down from the cross.

Typically, other demons avoided this church, knowing it to be where the hellish two lurked, but desperation will drive anyone to crazy lengths.

The pitiful thing's scream as one of the two beasts sent it back to hell sounded like little more than a gasp to Mark's naive ears. Still, he jumped and whipped his head around, wide eyes searching the darkness where the beast stood invisible, hand alight with the hellfire that burnt the pesk to ash. His eyes unknowingly met those of his savior for barely longer than a heartbeat, and then he turned his attention back to his camera.

"Weird," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. He tried to dismiss it as the wind, but as he packed up his things, he couldn't shake the eerie feeling of something, or two somethings, looming over his shoulders.

He left the church that night with more than he came, and once he got home, he slept well with two curious figures watching over him.

When morning came, he woke to an empty room and dragged himself out of bed to prepare for the day. A shower, a change of clothes, a breakfast of toast with butter, and then he was out the door, backpack stuffed with his laptop, camera, and textbooks slung over his shoulder.

As he walked to the elevator, he made plans for the day in his head. He had classes, first of all, but between them, he could settle down in the library to work on the episode he filmed last night. Taeyong would probably nag him if he found out he spent his free time on editing instead of homework, though.

He barely contained a sigh and turned the corner, eyes cast downwards as he walked. So caught up in his own thoughts, he didn’t realize there was someone in front of him until it was too late, running straight into a broad chest.

Two huge hands caught him by the waist before he could fall backwards, and a husky voice laughed above him, "Whoa, you good, dude?"

He looked up, stunned, only to find himself staring into two eyes that shone like amber. His jaw went slack as he took in the beauty of the man smiling down at him, a tall and solid dark-haired man with wide shoulders and strong hands, but with a soft face and a kind smile, eyes warmer than the sun.

“I-I, um-” he stammered intelligently, heart suddenly threatening to beat out of his chest.

“What’d you do now?” a new voice asked, startling them both, and Mark looked over as an equally beautiful man walked up, carrying a cardboard box in his hands. He stood just the slightest bit shorter and leaner than the other, but when he smiled Mark’s way, he was just as breathtaking, eyes glimmering and cheeks dimpling in the most perfect way. “Oh, shit, is this our new neighbor?”

“N-Neighbor?” Mark squeaked, feeling only a tiny bit of relief when the taller man’s hands finally left him.

“Yeah,” the newcomer answered, that beautiful smile never leaving his lips. He set the box down, and Mark noted how it thudded softly when it hit the ground. It must’ve been _heavy,_ but this guy hadn’t even broken a sweat. “We’re moving in down the hall, uh, what number was it?”

“Apartment 66,” his friend answered when he glanced his way.

Mark blinked, looking back and forth between the duo. “W-Wait, really? But I thought Mr. and Mrs. Kim-”

“They moved out,” the dimpled man informed him. “And apparently very suddenly. Didn’t give the landlord any notice at all.”

Something strange and heavy settled in Mark’s stomach at that, but before he could think much on it, the taller spoke again, drawing his drifting gaze back, “Sucks for him, but it’s good for us. We just got into town last night and didn’t have a place to stay, so finding this apartment so last minute really is-” he took a small breath and smiled extra sweet, “-a _blessing._ ”

“O-Oh, yeah, I’m sure,” Mark said quickly, nodding and smiling at the both of them. “Yeah, well, uh, it’s good you guys found it. Hopefully you like it here.”

“I’m sure we will,” the shorter chuckled, and something about the way he said it made Mark’s cheeks warm.

“W-Well,” he cleared his throat and moved to slip between the two large bodies, barely containing a shiver when he brushed against them both. His mind, against his will, noted how they both smelled so _good,_ like pine and earth and rain. “I’ve, uh, gotta get to class, so I’ll see you guys later-”

He only got a few steps down the hall when the taller called after him, “Hey, wait!”

He froze, every muscle in his body suddenly stiff and tense, and when he slowly turned to look back, he found both of them staring at him intently, still smiling as pretty as ever. The unwavering attention made his face flush that much hotter, breath catching in his lungs.

“What’s your name?”

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Mark.”

And the two smiled even brighter.

“I’m Johnny, and this is Jaehyun.”

“Nice to meet you, Mark.”

“Yeah,” he barely managed to reply, “y-you too.”

With that, he took off towards the elevator, leaving the two to share a brief, secret smile.

For the first time in many hundreds of years, that spark was back in their lives, and they’d be damned if they let it go this time.

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is based off a [tweet](https://twitter.com/longerassride/status/1252328363538219011) i made earlier today fdjskjks this is sort of just a tiny intro into how everything mentioned in that tweet came to be! soon enough, i'll probably write more and we'll get into the actual story uwu
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/longerassride) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/catsbyy)


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